Jupiter and OURSOLAR SYSTEM

With the exception of the Sun, Jupiter is the most dominant object in the solar system. Because of its size and the fact that it was the first of the gas-giant planets to form, it has profoundly influenced the formation and evolution of all the other planets.

For example, Jupiter is the reason why there’s an asteroid belt – and not another planet – between it and Mars. Jupiter has also catapulted countless comets out to the edge of the solar system. Like a gatekeeper, Jupiter has safeguarded Earth from many comet impacts

The planets are the leftovers from the star-forming process, and Jupiter accounts for the bulk of that material – more – more than twice that of all the other planets combined. Its atmosphere – predominantly hydrogen and helium – is similar to the composition of the sun and other stars as well as the clouds of gas and dust in our galaxy.

When the sun was born – when it accumulated enough mass for nuclear fusion to ignite – it generated a wind that blew away most of the gas and dust that still remained. The fact that Jupiter’s composition is similar to that of the original cloud suggests that it formed early on, before the wind could clear away that material.

To give you an idea of how dominant Jupiter is, an alien observing our solar system through a telescope would see an average yellow star and Jupiter with three other large planets. Earth and the inner planets would appear merely as debris.

Mars

The Red Planet once had an active core like Earth’s, an internal heat engine that generated a magnetic field. But it shut down long ago as the planet cooled, allowing the solar wind to strip away its now vulnerable atmosphere.

Saturn

Famous for its magnificent rings, Saturn is made out of the same materials as Jupiter. But the proportions are different and Saturn is three times less massive. Even though Saturn is just the next planet after Jupiter, it’s twice as far from the Sun.